


A short victory

by msarahv



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-01-27 16:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21395548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msarahv/pseuds/msarahv
Summary: Dean and Castiel were engaged but Cas broke things off. Years later, Dean has everything he wants while Castiel is only he shadow of his previous self. Their path meet again and Dean can enjoy his victory over the one who broke his heart. Well at least he tries...
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, i'm finally back! After my accident, I had to rebuild my life and I just didn't manage to get inspired to write anymore. I just read a Tumblr Post about Persuasion and I thought I would write it from the other main character's POV. Tell me what you think!

…Castiel was an angel.

  
  


He really was. Dean watched him walk around the shelter, discreet and efficient, as ever. He was never the one asked for PR, never directly praised for all the hard work the volunteers were doing for the community. In fact, he had looked nonplussed when Dean had complained about it.

“The point of what I do is to lessen someone's suffering, not make myself look good. Surely, you, of all people, can appreciate that. You told me of those people in your life who were there for you, in time of crisis. Did they ever get a medal for doing so?”

“No... not medals, but, just a_ thanks_ would do. I mean, even at home, your brothers and sisters don't even know you work here.”

Castiel moved on the battered couch in the meeting room, putting his head on Dean's shoulder with a sigh.

“Even if they did, I doubt it would interest them. I am not saying they cannot be generous, but they are not hands-on. I think my mother would have approved, though.”

That shut Dean up. Their eyes met in a silent acknowledgment of something else they had in common. He kissed Castiel and they cuddled for a few minutes, until he had to leave for his shift.

  
  


He pushed the back door with a last look at his fiancé, his smile growing stupidly when the light caught on the ring. It wasn't even gold and yet Castiel had never taken it off, since that day. And he had looked so _happy_.

Of course, meeting the family had been a pain in the ass. Dean still looked and acted like a kid who had grown up in a _car_. Apparently, he said all the wrong things, in the wrong tone, and they were some hidden expectations he wasn't meeting. Castiel liked his impulsivity and his optimism, he said that Dean was _alive_, like no one else. Dean wasn't going to change to please them, plus he hated how they looked down on him for working in a garage. None of them would ever have to work for a living, and they looked down on him just because of that. Who was r_eally_ useless in that scenario?

Selfish assholes, the lot of them.

Expect Cas, of course.


	2. Chapter 1

**Eight years later...**

“Come on, Sammy, you're gonna miss your plane!”

The only response was a distant chuckle. Trust the lovebirds to run late for their goddamn _honeymoon_, because they were too busy fucking.

If Dean wasn't so happy for his brother, he would have mocked him mercilessly.

But Sarah was good for him. Dean had seen his brother grow into a fully committed, responsible man, and while it did hurt that Sammy got there before him, it didn't take anything from the relief and hope he now felt for his brother.

Sam appeared at the door, with his shirt buttoned wrong and a smiling bride at his side. Dean managed to hide the bitter from his own smile and hugged the both of them, before the taxi went off, intent on getting to the airport on time.

This was it, then. Dean went back to the apartment his brother and him had shared for years, a few streets from Sam's law school.

He had cooked Sam dinner every night and made sure he got enough sleep before his exams. Then, after graduations, they had stayed there, because Sammy got a great internship in the same city. And then a job, and then Sarah had moved in.

Now, Dean had a family and a home, like he never had before,_ like he almost d..._

He shook his head. No, no chick flick moments. The future, that was the most important.

  
  


And the future wasn't that lonely-looking either. Sam had insisted and even Sarah had been stubborn. They would live together still, but in a new city, in a bigger place, now that they had high-paying jobs, all of them, even Dean.

  
  


He could afford so many things now, even an expensive new car if he wanted. Sammy had suggested it once, changing color when he had seen the look on Dean's face. His baby was the only thing he had left from before. When they still had a mom. When they still had a dad.

Before fire and alcohol became killers.

  
  


Dean sighed and walked to the kitchen to fix himself a burger. It always cheered him up.

He could still see Cas chewing one blissfully, looking like had found a new meaning to life. Trust the snobs who brought him up never to let him try anything so _crass_.

“These make me very happy” Cas had said.

They had joked that they would get a barbecue for their home, and never cook anything else.

Dean had decided he would marry him that night.

  
  


He got up, turned the garbage disposal on and threw the hamburger in the sink.


	3. Chapter 2

“The house is so great, Dean!”

Sam sounded so excited that Dean laughed at his phone.

“It better be. I don't even know how the kitchen looks like.”

“It's brand new. Glass everywhere. When I saw it, I just knew you'd spend all your time there.”

“Only if it's raining. I mean, there's a grill in the yard, right?”

“Not yet, but that way you can build us a little barbecue nook.”

“Can't wait!”

When Sam and Sarah came back from Boston, Dean got the photos and the details. It was in a town north of the city, where a big domain had been sold into lots. The guest house was first on the market and they had made an offer without him, as he had told them they could. He was still finishing his last contracting job in San Fransisco and would join them later.

The other lots would mean quite a few houses would be built around them. Sarah had been generous with Dean's business card.

“What about the domain's main house? You think they'll need work too?”

Sam shrugged:

“No idea. I don't think we'll move in the same circles.”

“Good. I don't want to meet crazy rich people anyway. They're all dicks.”

“Really ? I thought you liked my boss and he's quite wealthy.”

“Well, yeah, but he still works hard, you know. Not like those useless socialites who just play golf all day and go to parties.”

“Oh, yeah, agreed. Although they tend to make great clients for our firms, so I won't mind having a few in the neighborhood.”

“As long as it's a few, I guess I can avoid them.”

“Sure... You'll love the view. I could see the ocean from our bedroom window.”

“Now you're talking. How big is the garage?”

Again, Dean spent a week on his own, busy as hell in the day, too tired to go out at night. It wasn't a good mix because it meant he was alone with his thoughts.

Boston.

He still felt weird about it. The metropolitan area was big enough that they had no reason to meet and he hadn't been there that long anyway, but it had been difficult to accept he would be going back.

He was still so angry at him.

He didn't punch the wall, because he had done that already, and in his line of work, he didn't do to hurt your hand needlessly. It had taken ages to heal.

The hand, of course.

_He_ was fine, mostly, ready to meet someone new that would finally put all these memories behind for good. After all, he looked as great as he did then, and the money didn't hurt either. He hadn't really dated since then, but, boy, had he been popular...

That's when he got a message from Sam with their new address.

He swore.


	4. Chapter 3

By the time Dean finally moved to his new home, he had calmed down considerably.

First, it was because he felt much more confident nowadays. He was coming from a position of strength, with no shades of poverty or lack of education. He was far from being as smart as Sam, but he had read a lot, to help with the pain, passed his GED, found a career....

All in all, he had grown into a stronger, _manlier_ man, who commanded respect, not scorn.

Second, and that helped a lot, he had called the real estate agency to introduce himself as a possible contractor for them to partner with, and, by a happy coincidence found out _who_ had had to sell their estate that way. He had then used all his charming manners to get all the juicy details.

...bankrupted, hey? Apparently, there had been bad investments and a crisis somewhere and now they were broke. It looked like being rich wasn't _always_ for life. The poor buggers would have to find a job and _boy!_ was that going to be difficult.

Third, and that was the ticket, the family had moved. To _goddamn _Florida. Dean had almost laughed out loud when he heard that. He could only imagine proud _Michael Novak_ on a plastic chair with a daiquiri in his hand and tourists all around. He wanted to save that mental picture and put it in a scrapbook called “The Novaks suck”.

Yeah, he was petty. Sue him.

This good news kept him in a pretty good mood for his road trip across America. Of course, Sam, the traitor, had suggested he sell the Impala and fly to Boston, so Dean had refused to speak to him for the next two days.

Instead, he had cleared his schedule and since he wasn't in a hurry, stopped in as many bar as he wanted, to play pool, get wasted and even get lucky a few times.

By the last two days, he was missing Sammy too much to stop for long. He was also curious about seeing the town he had once been so happy in, like never again in his life.

He stood in front of the house, petrified. His mood was hitting rock bottom as he recognized it. Castiel had never identified it as “the Guest House”, so it hadn't registered.

But yes. That was it. They had slept there... made love. Right. Here.

He really did not want this to be the first thing to come to his mind in this new home but there you had it. Castiel's naked body floated around, a clear, arousing picture. He was ridiculously hot. Not that anyone had noticed when he hid under all this shapeless stuff. When Dean had unwrapped him, it had felt like winning the lottery...

He shook himself back to reality, to Sam and his wife welcoming him, showing him around, as if he had never been there, discussing what work would be needed in the near future.

If it was up to Dean only, there would be a _lot_ of it. Like tearing down the house and build a brand new one, with a different shape, even. Bury the memories in the ground.

Luckily, the main bedroom would be Sam's, which was a great way to tone down any sexual association to it. Plus the kitchen was absolutely awesome, a gift to him from the Novak, somehow.

They went out to celebrate and Dean suddenly remembered his friends He had left so fast, he hadn't say good-bye, so he entered the Roadhouse feeling quite apprehensive

Ellen was at the bar, smiling to her customers, when she spotted him:

“Dean Winchester!”

Sam and Sarah threw him a questioning look. He decided he didn't need to hide everything from his family, just the _being-engaged-and-never-told-you-about-it _part. So he waved them away and sat at the bar, waiting for his fate.

“You disappeared! Jo kept asking about it every day. Explain yourself right now.”

He tried to, as well as he could, until Ellen gave up and hugged him tightly. They joined his brother's table and got a free round of drinks, brought by Jo, who had changed quite a _lot_ since he had last seen her, a realization that made him spill his beer.

Then Ash came out of his hide and strangely connected with Sam within a few minutes. Maybe it was the crazy intelligence thing or something.

Anyway, Dean relaxed. They were some great memories to be found here and the right people had stayed. He even met someone new, a friend of Ash, who liked to play pools as well as pranks. Sam spit out his drink and threatened to sue him, which was bloody hilarious and Gabriel – _call me Gabe_ – remained as cool as a cucumber.

He ended the night with already four friends living almost next door. Life was good indeed.


	5. Chapter 4

“Two kids really?”

Dean couldn't help the incredulity. Gabe threw his dart, then tried to look hurt but was mostly mischievous.

“Are you saying I'm not father material?”

“I wouldn't even call you grown-up material.”

Gabe put his hand on his heart.

“You wound me. I thought we were friends.”

“I can be friends with a prankster. I don't judge. I just wonder if your kids will ever feel like obeying you.”

Gabe shrugged, looking serious for a moment:

“They do, actually. It's their mother who has that problem. That girl was raised in a bubble, she doesn't know how to cook or clean, I swear I have to do everything. But, well, she's a looker.”

Dean took his winning beer out of Gabriel's hand and banged the neck with Gabe's.

“Then I've got to meet her.”

“Yeah, right! Like I'm going to introduce her to a guy that looks like he belongs in an underwear commercial.”

That got a startled laugh from Dean. He wiped his eyes and tried again.

“Come on, man, I'm new here. And my brother and his wife are newlyweds. Can't you feel my pain?”

That's when Jo joined them, with a big smile on, just for Dean. He shoot one back, just on the side of cocky. She blushed, then turned to Gabriel:

“Alfie and I are going to a concert tomorrow. You're coming?”

“Sorry, Jo. The wife is entertaining her brother. I won't be allowed a foot outside.”

“Oh, come on, Castiel is cool! I'm sure he won't mind.”

She had to go back to the bar for a sponge, joking that Dean had zero eyes-to-hand coordination, given how many times he spilled his beer. That gave him a few minutes to regroup and ask Gabe, in the most confident voice he could muster:

“So, what's her name?”

“Who? My wife? Hannah.”

Of _course_. Hannah Novak. One year younger than Cas. Good-looking, but he had barely noticed her then, because, well, Cas was there too.

And he would be here, now. _Tomorrow_. Wasn't he supposed to be in Florida, far from Dean's heart as he should be? Why did the Novak have to leave one of the kids behind!

Gabriel was still talking:

“Jo's best friend with my little brother Samandriel, so she's home a lot, but none of them are baby-sitter material. So when Hannah can't deal anymore, she calls her brother. He's quiet, but he's really good with them.”

“He got some too?” Dean asked, clenching his jaw. Better ask everything and deal with the hurt now. Beer might not be enough to cope.

“Who, Cas? Oh, no he's single. I don't think romance is his thing. Crazy nice, though. Not like my other brother-in-law. That one is a mean son-of-a-bitch.”

“Oh, yes. Michael's a pain in the ass.”

Gabriel stopped and looked at him in incomprehension. Fuck, Dean was really bad at hiding stuff.

He forced out a laugh:

“It's too late, I already met your wife. But you're very lucky, she is not my type.”

“Ohh... you mean your type's _guys_.”

“Guys and girls. But I have my own tastes, plus I'm not a sleazebag. I don't go behind friends' backs.”

Jo finally came back, after having been caught by her mother and sent to tidy up in the back. She threw the sponge at Dean:

“Think fast!”

“Wow, you're a terrible waitress.” Dean said, catching it with one hand “No tips for you.”

“Now, you're rude. I was just about to invite _you_ to the concert.”

“Is it a Zeppelin one? I'm a classic rock-kind-of-guy.”

“Not really. But give it a chance?”

She looked so determined that Dean caved.

He met Jo at the Roadhouse the next night, but she was not done working yet. He helped her put some bottles on the shelves.

“We'll have to pick up Alfie. We're taking your car.”

“O_kay_. Where does he live?”

“Next door, but he's at Gabe's now.”

“Why?” If there was one place Dean wasn't keen on visiting that night, it was Castiel's brother-in-law's.

“He's Gabe's brother. Duh.”

“I thought he said Samandeel or something like that.”

“Samandri_el_, yes but I never call him _that_. Can you imagine?”

“Not worst than _Castiel_, though.”

Jo looked thoughtful. “I don't know, it suits him. I mean, he's such a dear. Mum once told Gabe he should have married _him_ instead. Gabriel said sure, if he were gay, he would have.”

Dean tried to stay in the car, but Jo wasn't the kind to ever change her mind. They walked to the front door, let themselves in, but the living-room was empty.

“Alfie, where are you?” Jo shouted.

“In the kitchen!” was the answer.

It was a small kitchen and right now, quite crowded. There was Hannah, who looked quite hot indeed, Gabriel who looked frustrated, and a young, very attractive guy, with eyes like no-one's business.

And Cas.

Their eyes met. Dean could still read him and there was surprise and hurt in there. Good. He deserved it. Dean looked away, fighting tears.

Gabriel and his wife were locked in an argument about the concert, shouting at each other:

“I am not going, Hannah. So what are you complaining about?”

“_I_ want to go out, with everyone. We could have gotten a sitter, if you had told me before.”

“I could stay.”

It was said softly but Dean heard it nonetheless. It was the same voice but tired.

He sneaked a glance. Castiel was still wearing clothes too big for him, but underneath there his back was hunched and he was crouched on himself. He also had shadows beneath his eyes and parched skin. Castiel was the shell of himself.

“You _would_? I love you Castiel! See, now I get to hang out with your new friend!”

Hannah was jumping around like a kid. Yep, Gabriel was the more mature one in the relationship. Wonders never ceased.

The concert was okay. He said so to Jo and got a triumphant smile for a response. Alfie was dancing around and managed to get Dean to dance with him at some point. The way he was looking at him was a great ego-boost. In fact, Dean was the real star of the evening. Even Hannah could not stop asking him questions. Like, where he had been since last time, and did he know her father had to move to Florida? And did he remember her?

“Sure, Hannah. Only saw you once, though.”

“Yes, Castiel didn't bring his friends home often.” Friend? He and Cas hadn't kiss or hold hands when meeting the family. It seemed not everyone knew they were dating.

Which was way better.

He answered one last question before changing the subject.

“So, Cas must have changed since you left.”

Dean nodded, half talking to himself:

“Yeah... I'm not sure I'd have recognized him if we had passed each other in the street. I guess he's grown older.”

Hannah let out a shocked laugh but didn't add anything.

Yeah, Castiel had let his chance go and now he was out of the game. Why didn't that feel as good as it should?


	6. Chapter 5

The next week flew by as Dean was starting work with his new crew. He was too busy to even think about Gabriel and his household, yet there was an uneasiness in his mind, like something he needed to scratch.

When he finally got time and energy to go to the bar, Jo spotted him instantly. She ran to him and gave him a big grin that hid nothing about her admiration for him.

“Alfie is going to be so jealous I got to see you tonight! He keeps talking about you since the concert.”

Dean smiled generously and asked:

“You guys aren't hanging out tonight? I thought it was your day off?”

“Oh” she sighed “It is... But Alfie is with Gabe at the moment. One of the kids got badly hurt and they're all at the hospital.”

“Oh, fuck, poor Gabe!”

Dean sat down and immediately sent a text to his friend, offering help and moral support. Luckily, while the family was still at the hospital, the news were kinda okay. The boy had fallen down the stairs but his spine had not been injured, so he would need a lot of rest and crutches but that was all.

'_Looks like I'll win tonight's game by default then_' he wrote

'_Nope I'm asking for a rematch. I'll let you know when_'

'_Sure! Glad the kid is all right_'

After that, he ambled to the pool table but without enthusiasm. Jo suggested they partner up, but he asked for a rain check, drank a beer and got home.

There, he phoned his best friend. Charlie was always up for a chat, wherever she was, but that night, she sounded subdued. He had an inkling as to why but didn't pry.

The next day, Sam and Sarah went out with him. He was happy to spend quality time with his brother but was surprised to see Gabe and Hannah seated at the bar, chatting with Ellen. After hugging them and asking about the munchkin, he learned why almost everyone was out enjoying oneself.

“Oh, I just _couldn't_ stay home with my kid. You don't have any so you wouldn't understand the worry and the distress. It was unbearable. Castiel is much more calm and detached, so he's a much better nurse to him.” Hannah explained with dramatic emphasis.

Dean could not help raising an eyebrow at the statement, but Gabriel just smiled and added:

“I wouldn't have left if he hadn't insisted. I said we could play cards or something but he almost pushed us outside and told us that he would call if anything happened.”

That sounded like Cas. Volunteering, over and over, never asking for anything in return, not even thanks. Hannah was incredibly lucky to have such a brother, given how self-centered she seemed to be. He fought the urge to shake her into being an actual parent and instead went back to his table.

Sam had heard the part about the card game and excitedly asked Dean if they could invite his new friends home.

“I thought you hated Gabe.”

“Of course not! I don't know him. And Sarah says we should start inviting people. And by the way, what about that barbecue project?”

In the end, everyone was invited for the next Saturday, from Ellen, Jo and Ash to Gabriel, Hannah and Alfie. Dean almost said something about Cas, who should be allowed some fun time out too, but caught himself in time.

The next day, he got a text from Gabe asking if he could bring his brother-in-law along. Dean felt overwhelmed for a minute. Castiel. In this very house. Could he bear it?

He sat down, thinking, and got another text. Of course, Gabe was explaining how Cas had looked after his nephew so well, waking in the night to care for him and only telling them the next day and what an incredible person he was and Dean felt even worse.

Of course he said yes. And then, he wondered how to escape the party honorably. He worked himself up to a point of frustration so great that he had to go out and chop wood. It wasn't necessary but it helped him calm down enough to feel strong. Yes, Cas should come. He would see that Dean was above being petty.


End file.
